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Brushbuffalo
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Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between
Brushbuffalo
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PostSat Apr 04, 2020 6:59 am 
walkingnatureworld wrote:
And was it open entirely all the way from Monterosso to Riomaggiore back then?
Yes, although we stopped just short of Riomaggiore in order to return to our room before dark.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSun Apr 05, 2020 2:44 pm 
Brushbuffalo wrote:
walkingnatureworld wrote:
And was it open entirely all the way from Monterosso to Riomaggiore back then?
Yes, although we stopped just short of Riomaggiore in order to return to our room before dark.
It must have been amazing, a pity that we couldn't make it all the way through.

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Apr 11, 2020 9:23 am 
Watch the full video here:
Tour de Mont Blanc is one of the most beautiful high elevation trails in the world. This trail is around 170kms in total and it goes around the summit of Mont Blanc. It crosses France, Italy and Switzerland. It's one of the most challenging and highest trails we've done. We did wild camping most of the time. TMB is a beautiful trail and the places it goes through are amazing. It was an absolute pleasure hiking through them and we enjoyed every step of it. This trail will be forever in our memory and we would love to go back to it in several years. What was your Tour du Mont Blanc like?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Apr 18, 2020 1:03 pm 
In today’s post we are going to share with you the easy 16kms one-day hike to the Seceda mountain. We started from the village Santa Cristina di Val Gardena, hiked up 900m to the Seceda and got down doing a loop along the mountain range. Watch the full video here:
Our morning started in the town Canazei in campsite Marmolada in Val di Fassa, South Tyrol. We woke up early to catch the bus to the village Santa Cristina di Val Gardena and fortunately that day it was on time. Morning was fresh and almost freezing with a very cool air. But the day expected to be sunny and bright. At night we had a funny accident at 5 o’clock in the morning when it was still dark and we were sleeping. We heard some weird sounds outside the tent and were almost sure that it was a cat checking up our food leftovers in a garbage bag that we left just outside the tent. So we grabbed our flashlight and pointed it towards the sound. To our surprise it wasn’t even close to the domestic animal and what we saw was a fox! Then we realized it was a baby fox by how carelessly and with what curiosity he behaved. The light didn’t scare it off much as we thought previously and he was rather calm and quiet eating his night meal. We still can’t think of what could attract him in our garbage bag as we don’t eat any meat and there were just fruit and vegetables skin together with some plastic packaging. So he spent probably half an hour of time close to out tent and then slowly wandered away. Before this case we didn’t really see a fox so up close in the wild and it was a fortunate case and opportunity to film it for us. So we were really grateful that this fox decided to come and visit us. When we got to Santa Cristina di Val Gardena the sun was already up on the sky shining bright and we had to get out of the village following quite a steep path up for 2.5 kms. That time we had our heavy backpacks with us as we had nowhere to leave them. But we still hoped to find some albergue or refugee house and leave at least some of our things there. So this way we went out to the forest path and started to follow the trail number 4 that we were to continue until the crossroad where we will start the loop the we planned. We still didn´t want to hike up with all of our weight on the shoulders and so we found quite a secluded spot under the pine tree to leave one of our backpacks there. We hided it quite well with dry pine needles and covered it with the branches so we hoped that nobody finds it in 5 or 6 hours until we come back. So feeling more light with just one backpack where we stored our camera equipment and some food we continued our trail. We knew that this way we will be able to do more and it will be more enjoyable overall. Also we set up our solar charger system because we needed some energy for our gear and with such clear day there should have been plenty of it. The trail continued to go through the shadowed forest all the first part. It was quite an easy and gentle uphill, we expected it to be more challenging. From time to time the path opened up to a fantastic view of the surrounding mountain ranges that seemed to be the giant rocks growing out of the green hills. It was a splendid and magical scenery. And we gradually were coming higher and closer to them and the views from above were breathtaking. On the way we met some squirrels that were jumping around from tree to tree and having their meal. And also the bushes with a very tasty wild strawberries which we couldn´t resist to stop at and try. The weather forecast was showing that it is going to be sunny and clear all day long but we knew that it is not always accurate. The last night was the coldest we had here in 5 days that we spent in the region and it felt almost freezing in our tent. Our summer bags had the limit of plus 5 degrees Celsius and we felt like it was close to their limit. We thought that probably some big air flow just came from Arctic and from now on we will be having quite extreme nights. So walking this quiet path we got to the crossroad we have been talking about before and turned left in the direction to the mountain Seceda. Then we planned to come back to the same crossroad just from the other side doing a loop. Starting from there the landscapes have changed and in front of us we have seen lots of green plains and hills with the mowed grass and little wooden cabins spread all over the place. We guessed that they were for the touristic rent. Also we met a couple of restaurants with the people chilling out in the sun in chaise lounges. So we made a conclusion that this region is quite touristic and crowded. Of course we knew that this mountain is quite popular before we went here and that’s how we learnt about it but still we hoped it to be more natural looking. There we have spotted the cable car going all the way up to the top of the mountain and then we understood why we have not met many people hiking with us on the trail. We do think that the cable cars can be nice on some occasions but in this case, the trail was so easy and smooth going that we were perfectly sure that anybody can do it. Also to us it is just more interesting to put more effort getting to the certain place. The route continued to swirl going quite a gentle uphill and most of it was pavement car road. We supposed that in winter there could be a ski slope and that’s why it wasn’t too vertical nor extreme. There was no clear marking of the direction we should stick to while getting through this car roads and so we just followed the people and also the cable car going right to the top. So it was quite hard to confuse the trail. While hiking up we met quite a lot of sheep pasturing on the sides of the slopes and quietly eating the grass as well as several horses. Some of them were very playful and surprised us by gracefully running around and showing their power. It looked great especially with a combination of such incredible mountain views down the valley. We still were amazed by how nice was the weather all day long until the very evening as it rarely happens in these places. At least during a week we spent here every evening there was some rain and lots of clouds gathering together. That day was perfectly clear with no single cloud in the sky and we could appreciate the beauty of the places enjoying the sunset light as well. Meanwhile we were getting to the top of the hill to the viewpoint of Seceda mountain. The route turned into gravel and was climbing up but still wasn’t too hard. When we were almost at the top to our eyes opened a splendid wide angle view over the other side of the valley. It seemed like we could see where the Dolomite mountain range starts and where it finishes many kilometers in the distance. Those endless beautiful mountain layers looked similar to the ocean wave in a rush hour to us when you are looking on it from the ocean side. And this view ended up being the most favorite of ours from this place. When we got to the viewpoint itself there were different points to stop at and gaze at the Seceda mountain itself. We walked to the very edge of the path and could enjoy the view of Seceda with the beautiful purple mountain bluebells in the foreground. The mountain itself was quite unique in its form with the abrupt rocky edges and the epic skeleton view of the mountain range.The most impressive thing about this place is not actually the rock itself but the 360 degree views from this viewpoint from where you can see two sides of the valley that look very different. On one side there are layers of the mountains and their green endless spines and on the other solid Dolomite rocks rising above everything. What we didn’t like about this place is how crowded with people it was that were constantly taking pictures, getting in your way and just wandering around. We would prefer to visit this viewpoint in some early hour in the morning when we bet there will be much fewer people. But we had just this one opportunity and so we tried to take advantage of it as best as we can. We took quite a lot of nice pictures while still it wasn’t the perfect golden hour for the photography with the sun being too high up on the sky. Also we realized that we couldn’t take the postcard looking picture everybody seeks with this mountain because you see it everywhere throughout the web. Simply because the angle of view wasn’t the same. We were taking pictures on the ground level and those shots from others were taken from some altitude most likely by the drones. So it was an important discovery of ours - if you want to make the perfect shots take the drone with you. So after spending around 40 minutes there we went out to the path leading back to the valley. We took the other one because we wanted to make a loop around this place and come to the crossroad from the other side. In the end we decided to take a shortcut of the previously planned loop and do only the half circle because the sun was already setting down and we didn’t want to get back in the dark. We planned to wild camp that night for the first time in the region and needed time to find a good secluded spot. As we knew that wild camping is forbidden in the area we didn’t want to be found by any forest rangers. Also we learnt that there are quite a lot of wild animals in local forests and apart from foxes, marmots and mountain goats there could be even wolves and bears. The program of their integration wasn’t done so long ago and there weren’t many of them but still there was a chance. So enjoying the sunset views and beautiful light over the Gardena valley we came back to the place where we left our backpack in the morning and were out to search for the place to camp in the forest. Fortunately we still had some daylight left to help us and we were able to find quite a secluded spot under the big tree quite far from the hiking trail. The weather was quiet and there was no single wind. We had our dinner there and quickly got into out tent before it got completely dark. The next day we planned to explore the other valley Val di Funes and do the Adolf Munkel hiking trail there… Have you visited the Seceda mountain? What do you think of this place?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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the Zachster
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PostSun Apr 19, 2020 2:04 pm 
We were just there last June so it was wonderful to see your video, thank you! We hiked to the "classic" viewpoint and found it to be a stunning place to be. And, like all beautiful places that are easy to get to, there were other people there. We expected that so it was not disappointing. But we also knew that as soon as you leave the main viewpoints, the crowds thin out quickly so we continued on instead of descending. There, we found complete solitude. If it's true wilderness you seek, it is more difficult to find in the Dolomites. But if it's stunning scenery with some nice amenities like lifts and rifugios then it's perfect. I don't mind sharing that space with others as long as I can find a quiet corner and that's not too hard to find. Would love to see more of your trip! I am in love with the Dolomites. wub.gif
6.24.46
6.24.46

"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
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Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostMon Apr 20, 2020 5:08 am 
the Zachster wrote:
We were just there last June so it was wonderful to see your video, thank you! We hiked to the "classic" viewpoint and found it to be a stunning place to be. And, like all beautiful places that are easy to get to, there were other people there. We expected that so it was not disappointing. But we also knew that as soon as you leave the main viewpoints, the crowds thin out quickly so we continued on instead of descending. There, we found complete solitude. If it's true wilderness you seek, it is more difficult to find in the Dolomites. But if it's stunning scenery with some nice amenities like lifts and rifugios then it's perfect. I don't mind sharing that space with others as long as I can find a quiet corner and that's not too hard to find. Would love to see more of your trip! I am in love with the Dolomites. wub.gif
6.24.46
6.24.46
Thank you for your comment and a beautiful picture of Seceda smile.gif We loved the place too, and we were aware of it to be popular among tourists, we just always strive for more wilderness. We did walk along the mountain range for some time too and you are right about the crowds they start to disappear. Glad to know that you enjoy our videos, we have several more trips to share:)

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Apr 25, 2020 3:55 am 
In this hike report of Hiking in Dolomites we are going to share very easy one-day hike to do in Val di Funes. It is called the Adolf Munkel trail. It is 11 kilometers long, has only 400m of elevation profile and most of the trail goes through the forest with some beautiful rocky views on the surrounding mountains and several wide angle landscapes. Watch the full video here:
We woke up to a sunny morning in our wild camping spot in the forest where we had a very quiet night. We didn’t have much choice to choose the spot and it appeared to have quite a bad downhill that we felt a lot while sleeping. Also we had some animal visitor once again in the early morning and we heard him scratching the backpack probably trying to sneak out some food from there. We guessed it was a fox again by how quiet it was and once again left fascinated by how well was the smell of a wild animal and no matter how good you hide the food they will feel it in several kilometers of a distance. We knew that we can hang our food somewhere further away from our tent and this would certainly help. But as we weren’t expecting any potentially dangerous animals visiting us we just were lazy to do it. So we had our quick breakfast and got down to Santa Cristina village to catch the bus to Val di Funes-Refugio Zannes. It took us around an hour of time and we finally were at the place. Right away we started to search for the place to leave our backpacks at and we were lucky enough with one guy from a restaurant who let us store them at the farm house. So feeling quite light we started this Adolf Munkel trail (that has been named in honor of some soldier). We knew that this trail going to be easier than all the previous ones we did in South Tyrol region due to quite low elevation profile-only 400m and moderately short distance-11 kilometers. Also we had around 5 hours to spare until our bus that we felt like was more than enough for this trail. So we didn’t have to rush anywhere for the first time. Val di Funes was the new valley to explore for us after Val di Fassa and Val di Gardena and most of the people got attracted to it because of the epic rocky wall that stays on the side of it. It became so popular that when you Google the name Dolomites Val di Funes and this epic views comes out in the first image. So we were quite excited to dedicate some time to explore it. But we already realized that again this view was taken by a drone and so we weren´t expecting it to be the same. The trail started to go through the gravel dirt car road with a little bit of uphill. It was all surrounded by forest and had a lot of shade. Right away when we got out of the bus, we saw many hikers ready to start their trail too and so we were ready that this trail is going to be quite popular. On the way we stumbled across the info board stating the things you are not allowed to do in this Puez- Odle natural park and which we then saw in many other places too. There were quite a lot of prohibitions and some of them were more standard like no camping, no fire and no litter, but some of them we have never seen before like do not use the claxon of the bike, do not scream out loud, do not break glass bottles, do not break the rocks and branches of the trees. So they got really detailed there and mentioned everything. At first there weren’t too many people on the trail with us and we have been enjoying the secluded shaded forest paths and the calmness and silence of the places. It even reminded us some parts of the Tour du Mont Blanc trail we did earlier that year with lots of rocky areas and huge roots of the trees you have to go through. It was very idyllic forest stretch. The marking of the trail was very good all the way through and it was very difficult to lose the right direction. We barely used our GPS tracker and it felt really nice. The shaded forest path from time to time was opening to the giant abrupt rocks rising high to the sky and it was an incredible scenery as we were hiking so close to them. The only thing we didn’t get lucky was the light as the rocks were very harshly lighted up by a backlight and were in shadow themselves which was quite bad for photography and filming. So we did think that it would be much better to hike here later in the evening, so to start at 3 pm and finish at around 6pm. As it is not a challenging trail it is quite possible to finish in several hours and get back until the dark. But our bus was at 4 something pm so we didn’t have such possibility unfortunately. We crossed several little streams and river channels before we got to the first viewpoint of the Odle Sass Rigais. There was quite a lot of open space with wonderful views over the huge Dolomite rocks and some rock falls coming down from it. Also there we could enjoy the amazing scenery of the pine trees growing right from the big rocks and standing up on them. It was really fascinating to see how the nature can find the ways to grow even when there is not enough ground for her. From this point on we started to meet more and more hikers on the trail. There were people of all ages, some with children and some with dogs and sometimes they were creating a line on both sides of the path and it was hard to get through because of how narrow it was. There were always people behind and in front of us and so we had to wait for them or to run through them which wasn’t really enjoyable. To us it felt too overcrowded and created the hectic atmosphere thus it was ruining the serenity and magic of these beautiful natural places. It was still close to the high summer season and so the solution would be to come here off-season. Also to hike it early in the morning could help too. It was one of the only things we didn’t like about this trail. We got very lucky with the weather - it being sunny and clear all day long as well as warm comfortable temperature. We had our little break at one of the picnic tables on the open wide space and for the snack we had the Italian Taralli which were very similar to crispy crackers but were unsalted and thus healthier to eat. It ended up being one of our favorite snacks here in Italy. From this point of view we could enjoy the scenery of the same mountain range we visited the day before when we ascended the Seceda mountain. We spotted its cable car that was going right to the top of the mountain. And it was crazy to think that we travelled for one hour thinking that we are going much further and end up being almost at the same place. It was amazing to see the same place from a different angle of view and know that we have seen this Val di Funes from above yesterday and it looked very different. So getting through the rocks and tree roots, we didn’t notice how we have done the half circle of the trail. We didn’t expect it to be that easy and thus we were moving faster than normal. But at the same time we enjoyed having this kind of relaxed and chill out day in a row of the challenging hikes that we have been doing lately. The flows of people trekking got really crowded and busy while we were coming close to the highest point of the trail Refugio delle Odle. The path started to go through the green mountain plains with lots of cows pasturing on them. There were several wooden cabins and houses offering you food and shelter if needed. Lots of people were taking advantage of it chilling out in the chaise lounges on the side of the hill in the warm sun and having their lunch. It was the place with 360 degree angles of view from where you can see all the mountain ranges from all sides and enjoy the sun. So we spend half an hour there just breathing the fresh air and being in the moment and started to descend down. We knew that it is going to be quite an easy around 6 km downhill through the forest following the dirt car roads. We met several mountain streams on the way and could enjoy the views of the high rocky mountain tops turning into the pinky colors of the evening light. The trail wasn’t really steep but very gently descending down to the place where we started-refugio Zannes. There we catched our bus to the city Brixen from where we planned to take a train to the town Brunico where we found a campground to stay in a night or two. Then we were planning to continue hiking in Dolomites and visit a famous attraction Lago di Braies and doing a Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop. So we were excited to explore the different area of Dolomites… What was the most crowded trail you have ever been to?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat May 02, 2020 6:36 am 
Watch the full video here:
In today's video we want to share with you all the equipment we film with our backpacking and hiking content. We are going to tell you the things we like about every piece of equipment as well as some disadvantages of it and overall share our experience of using it. And we hope that this video can help some of you who is just starting out and wants to document his adventures. And anyone who is looking for new piece of equipment too. What camera gear do you use and love on the trail? Disclaimer: we don't have any affiliation with the brands and all items mentioned in the video were purchased by our own money.

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat May 09, 2020 3:37 am 
In this hike report from Dolomites we did the Lago di Braies Hiking Route which is a scenic walking path around one of the most beautiful lakes in Dolomites. It is a very easy 3 km walk that is suitable for everybody. It has plenty of possibilities for the photography enthusiasts depending on the light and weather you can get very different pictures. We didn’t get lucky with the weather but still could appreciate the glorious views over the lake and the mountains around. Watch the full video here:
We started our day in the campground Bersaglio close to the town Brunico where we had a several day rest and had to take the train and then the bus in order to get to the lake. But with our Vinschgau card that we managed to get at the campsite for free we could use all the public transportation during a week unlimited times. We got really lucky with that and thanks to it could visit so many different places. The start of the day was quite gloomy and cool and all the sky was covered in thick grey clouds. We hesitated for a while whether to make this hike that day or not but in the end we decided to do it. We hoped that it is just the morning cloudy weather and it will get better in the afternoon. So we got to the final bus stop at Lake di Braies and our plan was to make a circuit hike around the lake and then get back to the village Villabassa where we initially took the bus. That would make a 12 kms trail for the day. We have been considering doing another hikes closer to the lake but then realized that it requires getting high up in the mountains almost ascending the peak and we wanted to opt for something easier. We began this 3.5 kms circuit hike from the Hotel Lago di Braies where there was a restaurant and some souvenir shop. We got out to the lake and started to move clockwise around it. The trail was perfectly marked and adapted all the way through. When we saw the lake for the first time it was really beautiful even though the low clouds were covering up all the surrounding mountain peaks and it was very gloomy. The color of the water was insanely clear and turquoise, that was really hard to believe it’s true. It is probably due to the white sand and small rocks that were laying at the bottom of the lake and created this light reflections. When seeing lots of pictures of this lake previously and thinking that it is mostly the editing skills now we realized that it is actually very close to the reality. The lake itself is situated at 1496m of elevation at the feet of Croda del Becco mountain(2810m) and has a length of 1.2 kms. The fact that quite surprised us was the depth of this lake – 17m medium depth and 36m maximum depth. It seemed to us pretty impressive for such a small mountain lake. The water surface seemed like a glass – so clear and calm it was. At the shore of the lake there were quite a lot of wooden boats parked that were for an hourly rent. And we would certainly take one if the weather would be sunnier even though the prices were quite expensive. But the combination of these boats, this color of the lake and huge mountain rocks were making for a wonderful scenery, that’s undeniable. The trail went along the shore of the lake, through a small backwater and continued going along the side of the lake. The path was very well made with lots of wooden steps, bridges and handrail. We have noticed that it always adds something special to the trail when it is made out of wood. The weather was cloudy all the way through and even got worse at one point when it started drizzling rain and we had to get out our raincoats. It felt really wet and humid and because there was no sun that day it got quite cold too. It was probably the worst conditions to visit the lake because the views would be very different without the clouds and with a different light, as well as the color of the water would be even more impressive. But we had to bear with this weather because this was our day to visit the lake and we had to try to make the best of it. Surprisingly there were still people hiking with us on the trail so we guessed on the good sunny day here there could be crowds of people. So it was one of the only advantages hiking on a rainy day. We carried quite heavy backpacks that day with us and with such conditions it was even more difficult. So we thought to ourselves that we wouldn’t be too unhappy if we would only make this hike around the lake. The views from the trail were amazing from any point. Sometimes it was going through the forest getting out to the viewpoints and sometimes at the very edge of the rock up above the lake. The rocks that were surrounding the lake looked majestic with the white rock falls coming down to the very water edge and green forest growing right on the steep mountain slopes. It created a beautiful contrast with the water of the lake. We liked that they left it quite natural too without many buildings or facilities around. Closer to the middle of this loop when it started to pour rain we realized that we won’t do the whole plan for that day and just finish this 3.5 km trail. Because we felt quite cold and wet and we didn’t want to get sick because of that. We touched the water of the lake and it didn’t seem too cold to us but swimming might have been quite extreme there. All in all it was a high mountain lake. We knew that Lago di Braies was a starting point for several hikes including Alta Via 1 which was one of the 8 popular high mountain long distance trails in the Dolomites. And at first we even considered doing it but then looking at how difficult was the terrain we thought it would be too challenging for us to do. As we like to camp and carry all things with us it might have been too hard. And also we wanted to explore different areas of South Tyrol doing many hikes so we didn’t regret it. While the first part of the trail was having a bit of uphills and downhills (really gentle though), all the second part of the hike was going almost flat following the gravel wide paths. So we were able to do it even faster. Overall it took us no more than an hour of time to complete this circuit. We felt that the temperature dropped and had to wear every warm cloth we had with us including hats. We waited for some time for the rain to calm down under the roof of the chapel and had our pizza break there. And there we learnt that during the World War 2 Lago di Braies was a transit point for transporting concentration camps to Tyrol. The rain still didn’t stop much when we had to get out and hop on our bus back to the village Vilabassa. Then we decided to take the train back to Brunico where we stayed before because we saw the cloudy and rainy weather forecast for the next several days and we wanted to wait for it to get better being at a lower and warmer place. We really enjoyed the hike around the Lago di Braies despite the weather and we truly think it is worth the visit. We would advice to everybody take this trail around the lake as it is very easy to do and of course check the forecast and if you have the choice come on a sunny day. Cloudy days have their own unique atmosphere but we still feel like you can’t get the full impression of this place on such days. Of course on clear day there would be more people but there is always a price to pay. So it is up to you. So we stayed in the town Brunico for several nights and our next hike planned was the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop – another popular tourist destination. What was the most beautiful mountain lake you have ever visited?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat May 16, 2020 11:15 am 
In this trip report of Hiking in Dolomites we want to share another quite popular trail – Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop. It is an 11 kilometers hiking trail that goes around the famous three rocks following the rocky mountain paths. It is an easy level hike that everybody can do. Even though it is situated quite high up in the mountains, it has only several uphills and downhills but they are not very steep, most of the time it goes along the side of the hills and mountain plains. It is a wonderful trail to do if you are not feeling like doing any challenging routes but still want to enjoy the splendid views of the Dolomites rocks and valleys. Due to variety of landscapes it has plenty possibilities for any photographer. Meeting sunrise or sunset here would be a great experience too. Watch the full video here:
In our last episode we left you at the town Brunico where we spent several days in the campsite. We were a bit stuck there because of the terrible weather we had with a lot of rain and clouds and so we had no chance but to wait for it to get better. One day finally the sun came out and we decided that we can move to the lake Misurina to the other campsite which was situated quite close to the Tre Cime. And so we did first taking the train from Brunico to Dobbiaco and then a bus to the lake Misurina, camping a Alla Baita. The bus cost us 4 euros per one person from Dobbiaco to Misurina and then another 4 euros to get from Misurina to the Tre Cime. In total making up 8 euros one way and with a return ticket 16 euros per one person. This kind of bus wasn’t included into any pass card that you have for the public transportation, for example our Vinshgau card that gave us a possibility to use any public transport during a week. But this one was extra. The same way by bus you can get to Tre Cime from Cortina d’Ampezzo town. Also of course oyu can go by car and it will cost you 30 euros to park at the foot of Tre Cime per day. So we got to the lake Misurina and stayed in camping Alla Baita the day before the hike planning to start it early the next morning. From the moment we came we felt that the air was quite a bit cooler compared to the place we were before but it was no surprise as we climbed higher up in the mountains for quite a bit. We had a small walk exploring the surroundings of the place and got out to the side of the Misurina Lake at the sunset. It was a beautiful sight to see the sun setting in the massive rocks and turning everything in the wonderful pinky shades. The lake itself wasn’t too small and had plenty of bird life on it. But the view around it were the best of course with an impressive mountain backdrop. So we spent some time there till the dusk and when we felt our hands and legs started freezing we knew it is time to get back to the campground. There we asked for the blankets at the reception as we already felt we are going to need them throughout the night and left to our tent hoping to get a good sleep. Camping Alla Baita was representing a bit of uneven mountain plain with a bit of grass with quite a lot of space for camper vans and backpackers with the tents in the middle. There was nothing special about it itself and we thought that the places around were playing the most important part here. That night was probably one of the coldest ones we have ever passed in the tent. We were enrolling ourselves in the sleeping bags and under two blankets and only this way we could survive it. As we mentioned earlier we didn’t have a proper camping gear for such freezing temperature and our summer sleeping bags felt like the thin bedsheets in these conditions as well as the isolation of our sleeping pads wasn´t enough. But fortunately we took extra mats at the reception and it saved the situation. But the morning we waked up there was really beautiful. When we got out of the tent the first thing we saw were the huge massive rocks covered with a little bit of snow as if it was an icing sugar on a cookie. The soft morning light and low clouds created the magical scenery. At such moments you forget about all the struggles or inconveniences and just want to gaze in awe at such beauty. So we hoped on the bus and in 20 minutes were at the parking at the foot of Tre Cime. We planned to do this hike in around 3 to 5 hours knowing that we want to shoot a lot there. And so we got out on the trail and started to move in a counterclock-wise direction around the Three Rocks. It was one of the most high mountain trails of all we have done in the region constantly being higher than 2000m. And we felt it right away when the freezing wind started blowing at us and we had to leave all the warm clothes as well as the hats on us. It was just the start of September but some Arctic airflow came here and seemed to be established for a while. At least there was no rain expected for that day but overall the sunny weather. From the very beginning we felt amazed by the breathtaking views over the surrounding valleys and mountains. Due to us being quite high up we could enjoy the bird-eye views all the way through. It seemed that we could touch the clouds – they were passing quite low above our heads and around us and it was one of the best feelings. The mountain rocks around were having all sorts of whimsical forms and were opening the doors for your imagination. Most of them were looking like an entrance or a gate to some fairytale castles where the dragons or other fairytale characters could live. In one word, it was an amazing point of view. Meanwhile we have been doing the first part of the trail, which appeared to be quite easy, and had no uphills at all. There were quite a bit of people hiking with us and at some points it was getting crowded. They were speaking all kinds of different languages and so it was obvious that we are at a popular tourist destination. Around us we saw a lot of cows pasturing right at the side of the hill that surprised us quite a lot that even at Tre Cime they find a place to pasture them. At that time the shepherds and their dogs were moving them from place to place and it was a bit hard to get through. But as most of the gravel route was actually quite wide we supposed they can move here by cars as well. From the trail we could see not only the closest rocks but also the far away valleys with little villages, lakes and rivers and from above it looked really spectacular. Most of the trail was going right on the side of the rock, very close to it, with lots of rock falls coming down from it. Fortunately, there was no snow on the trail about which we were concerned only a bit of wetness and we guessed that the sun has melted all the snow from night before. So we passed by the little chapel “Cappella degli Alpini”, then by the rifugio Lavaredo and started to climb our first uphill to the viewpoint Forcella Lavaredo. It was going in a zig zagging style so wasn’t too challenging and we conquered it quite quickly. From the viewpoint of Forcella Lavaredo we could see the side of the Three Rocks and from this point on were turning to the classical view of them that everybody is used to on photos. Before this moment, the Three Rocks weren’t actually this obvious because of so many other rocks around. So from there we had to descend quite a bit hiking along the Monte Paterno and getting close to the other shelter or mountain hut “Malga Langalm”. The small and huge rocks were all around us and it felt like we were walking the rocky land. There we met a little bit of snow on the trail but the amount of it was minor and among it were growing beautiful purple flower bells that was truly beautiful. The snow laying on the mountain rocks was emphasizing their forms and lines and served as a beautiful decoration to them and thus they looked even more grandiose to us. We could spot several mountain climbers on the way that were climbing the neighboring rocks and we remembered how we thought about Dolomites as a paradise for any mountain climber. And every day we spent here we became more and more convinced of this. Then after walking for some time on a more or less flat ground we made the middle of the planned distance and turned to the most breathtaking views of the Three Rocks. We were standing at the highest point at 2500m getting the best views of the rocks. We learnt that the rocks themselves were over 3000m high and no wonder why their tops were always in the clouds. They were looking very grandiose and seemed like they were towering and reigning over everything around. From that point on we were descending down for a while enjoying the magnificent views of the valley down below and layers and layers of mountains of all the possible shapes and forms. Some of the scenes were completely out of this world and seemed to be brought from space and other faraway planets. We have seen on the maps and from the trail marks that there are plenty of other trails to choose from in the area including the Alta Via number 4. We think that most of them were a bit more challenging and mountainous type of paths so it is better to go well prepared. So when we came down we had our lunch on one of the green mountain plains before starting to go uphill again. It wasn’t too long nor too steep and we did it quite fast. The rest of the trail was going more or less flat and similar to the first part. The weather was partly cloudy all the way through but in the end we could even see the Three Rocks all clear in all their majesty. It was an amazing scenery. We were even able to spot several marmots on our way back and it was the cutest thing ever. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop turned out to be quite an easy trail to do with little elevation gain. It felt very chill out and relaxing together with splendid views it makes up for an amazing easy day hike. It took us around 5 hours to complete because we were stopping a lot and taking lots of pictures. The trail was a bit crowded though and even in September there were quite a lot of people. But this is the reality of all the popular places. What is your favorite high mountain trail?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat May 23, 2020 5:13 am 
MSR ELIXIR 2-Person backpacking tent First Impressions Review - Highest quality affordable tent ever?! Watch the full video here:
In this post we are willing to share with you our new purchase of the new tent – MSR Elixir 2. We have been searching for quite a while for a good quality budget self-standing tent. Because one of the main downsides of our previous tent was its height and we were lacking space in it badly. So after several months of an active research of plenty of different tents it seems that we found one that would suit our needs for now. In this video we are going to share our first impressions of this tent, see what’s in the kit, look at the main characteristics of it, dimensions and size, set up and wrap up process. We do plan to make a full review of this tent after one season of hiking. Hope you find it useful in some way. Let us know what do you think of this tent and what kind of tent you have now and how you like it. We are always in search for a good quality budget friendly options and we would love to explore the different gear and maybe find other tent suitable for us.

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat May 30, 2020 11:52 am 
In this post we are willing to share with you all our impressions and experience after hiking and travelling in Dolomites for 3 weeks. We are going to tell you all of our impressions and conclusions we made, some advice that we find very important, the reality of the weather and hiking conditions as well as some of our favorite hikes. Hope that you can learn something new from it. You can watch the full video here:
Short list of our conclusions: - German is widely spoken but with English you will be fine - Trail marks are overall good, the numbers differentiate the trails - Variety of different trails is endless - Wild camping is not allowed - There are lots of biking routes to take - South Tyrol is a center of apple produce - Public transportation system is very convenient - September is a great month to travel - Raincoats is a necessity -Don’t trust the weather forecast to the last word - Vertical rocks are unforgettable - Instagram shots can be deceptive - There are lots of crowded touristic places - Go off the beaten path - Lots of cable cars to choose from - Not enough water sources to resupply What tips do you have for having the best hiking experience in Dolomites?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Jun 06, 2020 9:10 am 
You can watch the full video here:
In the video of today we want to share our experience of living 4 full months in the small two person tent. We were able to cross 3 countries, hike more than 500 kms and spent 125 nights in it. And we truly think it was one of the best summers in our life. We will tell you how it was in general, what difficulties we faced, what priceless lessons we learnt from it and why in our opinion everyone should try it. We hope it will be an inspirational video for you as we truly believe that camping out is something everybody has to try. What is your experience with camping out? What lessons have you learnt from it?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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Ski
><((((°>



Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 12798 | TRs | Pics
Location: tacoma
Ski
><((((°>
PostSat Jun 06, 2020 9:47 am 
up.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7697 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostSat Jun 06, 2020 10:13 am 
Awesome! smile.gif That's commitment! And very rewarding, it sounds like.

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